'Not a priority': Limited council amalgamation support in Wellington City

Monday, 2 June 2025

Porirua voters have a say on a single council unifying the region later this year but it appears to be an exercise in futility – for now – with muted enthusiasm from the biggest show in town.

“I am open to future conversations about amalgamation, but it’s not a priority for me at present,” said Wellington mayor Tory Whanau on Sunday when asked if she backed a Wellington City Council non-binding referendum about amalgamation running in the 2025 local body elections.

Porirua has confirmed, with Hutt City considering, a non-binding referendum on council amalgamation, with Porirua mayor Anita Baker saying running the poll alongside a government-ordered one on retaining a Māori seat meaning it would cost just $20,000 as opposed to $150,000 for a standalone vote.

Only the Government could call a binding referendum, and when councils last checked with the Local Government Commissioner the message was that all four Wellington councils had to agree before a binding referendum would be considered, Baker said.

The long-discussed idea of merging Wellington councils, then including Wairarapa, was last seriously discussed in 2015 before being ditched due to lack of public support. The latest iteration is for Wellington City, Hutt City, Upper Hutt and Porirua to merge.

Wellington City councillor Ben McNulty said he would take the idea of a non-binding referendum to councillors at a closed-door meeting on June 10, but the “general vibe” from staff was that it was too late to include it in this year’s election because ”we haven’t had the discussion yet“.

All city councillors were approached for comment on Sunday.

Iona Pannett opposed amalgamation as “you need local voices”. A larger council would reduce that, and have democratic implications by making it harder for the voices of communities to be heard.

Diane Calvert said it was worth asking people about amalgamation and should have been done in 2025.

“I think we have missed the boat this time around and we should pose the question at the next election … with time to develop up the information that needs to accompany it,” she said.

Councillor Nicola Young said a binding referendum was needed: “Amalgamation is essential. Then we might get the brightest and best – officers and councillors – to run our enlarged but still-small city.”

Tony Randle was for the status quo for now, but was happy for a referendum.

Ray Chung, who is also running for mayor, favoured a referendum – if not necessarily amalgamation.

“There’s a misconception that large is good and will gain efficiencies and reduce costs. But this isn’t always the case,” he said.

“Amalgamation is not a panacea for reining in our excessive spending.”

Mayoral candidate Karl Tiefenbacher said the region was already intertwined so amalgamation was eventually inevitable, bringing with it savings through reduced bureaucracy and administration costs.

“However, with the public’s current distrust in the various councils’ ability to deliver core services and manage costs in an efficient way there are significant structural and cultural changes needed within council before amalgamation will be palatable to many Wellingtonians,” he said.

Candidate Andrew Little supported amalgamation in principle and pledged, if mayor, to lead a discussion with the public and councils ahead of a referendum in 2028.

“As a region we have some major infrastructure challenges that are better handled at scale and it’s clear that Wellington needs a stronger and more united voice when dealing with central government,” Little said.

“The challenge is to ensure amalgamation of councils doesn’t undermine effective local representation, so public input into any proposal is critical.”